The Region: Symptom of the Larger Problem

2 Jun 2007

Night is when reality comes across more directly without the distractions of normal everyday light and life. The peculiarities of an environment are highlighted and enhanced. At night under streetlights, an environment displays just how odd it is, and in the case of these photographs how inhumane manâ€“made environments tend to be even though they were created with humans in mind.

Northwest Indiana, often referred to as 'The Region,' is a conglomerate of fifteen or so cities where nature takes a backseat to what humans have created. Here nature is something you do or someplace you go â€” it is not something you live with. It is a huge area with very few natural boundaries and where concrete connects everything.

This is where I was born and raised â€” Northwest Indiana, which is a symptom of the larger problem. It is a prime example of where the world is going, and how we are neglecting to live as a part of this world. With all our information and knowledge, we need to push for changes that will help our society adapt to the world and not merely profit margins.

No matter how many war heads we have we can never be truly safe if the people controlling them have no idea of how to empathize with humans. By creating and fostering inhuman situations, you have an inhuman society with only one concern â€” the individual. We need to realize that we have the power to change our world. Humans change, alter, and control almost every aspect of the earth...so why is it so difficult to improve our society and the world around us. Formerly, humans revered nature. We have replaced nature. We have replaced God. Every one of us exists on a daily basis as a god. We control every single primordial element. We have the ability to manipulate the environment in any fashion for any purpose any time we choose. Unfortunately, we are gods that choose to exist without conscience.

We are complacent within the security of our temporal luxury and modern conveniences. The only people that are really profiting and developing security for themselves are the upper 2% who own over half the world's wealth; the people who give us credit and money. And these photographs are examples of what they give us. This is what we allow.